Round bales are well known for packaging crop materials. For example, in European Patent EP No. 309 936 B1 to White entitled “Round Baler having Anti-Plugging Means” discloses a round baler with a single set of endless belts, which are routed over a series of fixed and mobile rolls, whereas the mobile rolls are carried on two tensioning arm, which create several loops to provide sufficient bale length to extend over the circumference of a completed bale. A lower tensioning arm is applied by a spring, which extends with additional crop entering the bale chamber.
In yet another reference, European Patent No. EP A1 309 941 to Fell et al., further discloses a round baler with two sets of endless belts and two tensioning arms, which are controlled by means of a single hydraulic cylinder. This hydraulic cylinder is used to control the tension in the two sets of belts to provide for controlled movement of the bale during formation and unloading.
The present invention is related to challenges in forming bales having large diameters such as two meters or greater, while simultaneously using inexpensive equipment such as belts and chains that can be easily manipulated to achieve the desired result. Therefore, there is a need for using only one baling means or one set of baling means, such as flexible belts or a chain and slat assembly, to forming bales with a bigger diameter, such as two meters and greater.